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Virus
Three detention officers at the Hart County Jail have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, nine days after they were initially tested, sheriff Mike Cleveland confirmed Tuesday.
The number of cumulative COVID-19 cases rose to 26 in Hart County as of Wednesday morning with one hospitalization listed, according to daily reports from the state Department of Public Health.
The National Guard tested all inmates at the Hart County Jail as well as employees on May 17. Cleveland said he was informed three detention officers are positive for COVID-19.
The results for the inmates’ tests had not come back yet as of Tuesday afternoon, Cleveland said.
None of the detention officers who tested positive have experienced any symptoms associated with the virus, Cleveland said, but they have self-quarantined.
Cleveland said the detention officers would be re-tested with a blood test.
“We’re taking precautions,” Cleveland said Tuesday.
The number of cases at a local nursing home remained the same this week.
Nine residents and 12 staff members are confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 at
Hartwell Health and Rehabilitation as of Monday’s report from the state Department of Community Health. Sixty-five of the residents tested negative for the virus after the facility tested all of its residents two weeks ago.
Cumulatively, more than 43,000 residents in Georgia have tested positive for the virus and nearly 1,900 have died due to COVID-19, the state DPH reports. More than 514,000 people have been tested for the virus in Georgia. In total, 7,640 residents have been hospitalized with the virus, while at least 1,728 residents have been admitted to an ICU with the virus, according to the status report as of Wednesday morning.
The accuracy of statewide reporting, however, has been called into question recently by numerous officials, according to various statewide media outlets.
Nearby counties have experienced greater numbers of cases than Hart County. Franklin County has a cumulative count of 39 cases with one death and seven hospitalizations reported by the public health department. Elbert County has a total of 73 confirmed cases with five hospitalizations. Stephens County has seen at least 129 cases with two deaths reported as of Wednesday.